The biggest problem with healthcare reform is the fact that the Administration, and President Obama in particular, failed to articulate its benefits to the American people. Instead of focusing on its benefits to both the average American and corporate American they succumbed to GOP/Tea Party pressure and spent most of the time on the defensive trying to justify what should have been a highly successful policy change. Fortunately for them, most Americans are starting to see the benefit of healthcare reform, a fact that make the GOP proposal to repeal it and dangerous political strategy to embrace at a national level.

Woodstock22

Healthcare should not be a privilege in any civilized society. Every citizen should be entitled to adequate healthcare as part of their citizenship. Healthcare should not be a ‘for profit’ industry at all. CEOs of health insurance companies should not be taking home windfall bonuses while healthcare costs continue to skyrocket. A public option healthcare plan would stabilize the cost of healthcare by redistributing the excess revenues back into the system, rather than being stolen by those at the top of a corrupt ‘for profit’ industry, as it is now.

ToddN

I have never read such a pack of lies all in one place in my life. The only supporters of Obamacare at any of the town hall meetings I went to were hired union thugs. Obama and the democrats had a filibuster proof majority in congress and passed it over the objecitons of 70% of the American public. Maybe this author has forgotten the election 0f 2010 and how the Tea Party patriots voted many of those same unpatriotic democrats out of office.
Please keep believing the Tea Party citizens aren’t going to make any difference. We vote, we change government the proper way, and we’ll ALL be out there come November to vote the communist out of the presidency.

kurt.lorentzen

It might even have garnered support from much of the opposition if Obama hadn’t caved in to the the big money. Some of the poorest working Americans (i.e. Wal-Mart employees) won’t be getting the support of their company because Wal-Mart filed and received a waiver. Unbelievable! That also goes for 1235 more companies as of Janunary 6, 2012. That’s another 3 million people that will be subsidized. And unlike Canada and European countries, Obamacare does not address the cost of pharmaceuticals. Those systems beat the drug companies down to reduce costs, sometimes by 90%, over US prices for drugs (and there’s still good profit for the drug pushers at that price). But to get big pharma onboard, they will continue to be able to set their own price. Most everyone agrees that a nationalized health system is feasable, but behemoth legislation like Obamacare will just add debt and continue to enrichen corporate America. C’mon people, you’re walking around with blinders on.

TWFlash

I doubt that Toddn would recognize a Communist if one bit him on the nose, but doesn’t he just exemplify the Tea Party? Being completely oblivious of the facts makes him the perfect echo chamber for the vitriol of the hate mongers (like that jerkoff, Rush Limbaugh). Wake up, Dude! Turn off Fox Noise and come back to planet earth. The only future you need to be afraid of is the one in which the MNCs own the country and your grandkids are working in sweat shops for $3.50 an hour. If you don’t understand that that’s where the Greedy Old Party wants to take us, you really are a dumba$$.

jimackermann

TWFlash is a very good name caller. Typically what you do when the facts don’t support your position. Well, TW can call me a name too. I will support to the max anyone or group the will put Obama Care out of business. If Obama care proceeds, American health care will fail the people. Look at other examples of government let programs. Ask a veteran what he or she thinks of that health care system. We could all get the marginal care that the vets get.

condonate

Regardless of where you stand on this issue it is hard to deny that Democrats are at least making an effort to improve our hapless health insurance system. However imperfect it may be at the moment it is surely be no worse than the Republican’s comprehensive plan. Wait, my bad. They don’t have a comprehensive plan.

I retired from the United States Air Force in 1991, after 20 years of service spanning the last three years of the Vietnam conflict up thru the end of Gulf War One. That’s right, jimackermann, I’m a vet. I’m also reasonably intelligent and very well-informed. So go ahead, ask me what I think of Government healthcare. Because, unlike Rush Limbaugh, I’ll tell you the truth, which is that Government healthcare is the best thing since night baseball. My physician’s a medical genius who’s made me healthier at 59 than I was at 29. He’s performed acupuncture on me, and even cut me open to do a biopsy, right in his office. The only pills I take are vitamins. As I approach 60, I’m ten foot tall and bulletproof, because I enjoy excellent care, provided by a highly competent physician, whose office is five minutes from my home. And, into the bargain, my co-pays are extremely reasonable (and I mean EXTREMELY). Pretty sweet deal, huh? Oh yeah, and it costs me less than $500 a year, family included. I can see why Republicans in Congree don’t want us all to have that. I sat in a bar one night during the healthcare debate in Congress and wasted an hour trying to convince the Republican on the next barstool, who’s healthcare was costing him and his family $12,000 a year, that I was getting the better deal. But you know how stubborn those wingdings can be…. The problem with Obamacare, is that it doesn’t do enough. It should have included a Public Option, which would have forced the big insurance companies to compete for our business, thus driving down healthcare costs for everyone. Still, Obama’s healthcare program will help millions upon millions of people, and isn’t that what we God-fearing people are all about? I’m real sorry to have hurt your feelings jimackermann, but it’s time for all you Republican stalwarts out there to switch off Fox News and rethink your positions. By the way, I’m a registered Republican, but I’m no fool. We need to unite our Government. We need to make it all Blue. I’m voting democrat right up and down my ticket. It’s our only chance and, therefore, our only choice.

Lawrence Nannery

These yokels who criticize what they know nothing about are living in the middle of the 19th century. Why is that every other advanced country — 30 of them — have better health care systems better than our rich country? And why is it that the very best healthcare is given in the publicly paid for veterans’ administration?

freethinker

Now that we have finally had a chance to read some of the monster and some real monetary numbers are becoming available, it is abundantly clear that the majority of the President’s promises concerning the health care bill can never be kept. If allowed to stand, it will become a financial nightmare for the country. We know the intent was good, but the implementation is a fiasco. The President, if his veto cannot be over-ridden, will never agree to the major changes needed for it to be a useful act. The only solution is to vote Republican, no matter how much you like the President. It is the only chance to save the country from a financial and healthcare disaster.